Smoltz “Probably Not” A Fit In Detroit
More than two decades ago, before Rick Porcello was born, the Tigers traded John Smoltz to the Braves for Doyle Alexander. Now that he's free to join any team, could Smoltz return to the club that drafted him? Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that it doesn't seem likely.
"It's probably not a fit for us," Dombrowski said. "But we could still sit down and talk about it."
Dombrowski likes his bullpen and expects Jeremy Bonderman to fortify it when he returns from a minor league rehab assignment, so the GM doesn't feel an urgent need to add arms.
Signing Deadline Roundup: Ackley, Turner
Some more links in the aftermath of yesterday's deadline to sign draft picks…
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star explains in detail that the MLB draft is broken. It certainly seems like things will change after next year, when the CBA expires.
- Ryan Divish of the Tacoma News Tribune reports that Dustin Ackley says he'd like to play outfield.
- Click here to read what Divish did as he awaited word on the Ackley signing last night.
- MLB.com's Jason Beck reports that the Tigers designated minor leaguer Chris Lambert for assignment, presumably to make room for top pick Jacob Turner on the 40-man roster.
- The Astros had a much more relaxing evening than most teams last night, as Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Draft Spending Roundup: Nats Set Record
Some details on the millions of dollars that teams committed to the next wave of talent:
- The Nationals spent more on this draft than any team has ever spent on a single draft, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.
- Callis ranks the top deals by present value and, not surprisingly, Stephen Strasburg comes out on top.
- So how much did teams spend in total? They spent over $160MM on bonuses for players drafted in the first ten rounds, according to Callis. That's about $1MM more than teams spent on the same group of players last year, but Aaron Crow and Tanner Scheppers could stll sign late. As Callis notes, MLB doesn't have much to show for its efforts to slash bonuses.
- It's possible that this will be a record year for total draft bonuses awarded by MLB teams.
Odds And Ends: Jays, White Sox, Posey
Some links for the morning…
- GM J.P. Ricciardi tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that being good isn't enough in the AL East. The Blue Jays have to be great.
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams told Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune that he's unhappy with his team, which trails the Tigers by 2.0 games in the AL Central. "We're underachievers," he said.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle hears that the Giants have no plans to call Buster Posey up this season. They just drafted the catcher last year, so GM Brian Sabean says "there's no rush."
Rosenthal On Trembley, Yankees, Wagner
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports believes the Orioles should stick with manager Dave Trembley next year because his teams haven't quit; they've just been overmatched. Rosenthal says it looks like Trembley's "a goner." Here are the rest of the rumors:
- Rosenthal says Jim Riggleman and even Bobby Cox are among the managers with uncertain futures.
- The Yankees inquired on Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang, but lost interest when the Reds refused to send money along.
- The Yankees are looking for starting pitching, but aren't likely to add anyone before rosters expand at the beginning of September.
- Billy Wagner could be a trade target, but the Mets would have to be prepared to take on salary in any deal.
- Rosenthal says Grady Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera, Luis Valbuena, Carlos Santana and others should give the Indians strength up the middle for years.
Damon Wants To Stay In New York
The Yankees would like Johnny Damon to return next year and, according to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times, the 35-year-old outfielder hopes to re-sign once he becomes a free agent after the season.
More Draft Pick Signings
Some more signings came in late last night. Here they are, from Baseball America's Jim Callis:
- The Yankees signed 44th rounder Evan DeLuca for $500k.
- The Rangers signed 17th rounder Paul Strong for $300k.
- The Nationals signed 12th rounder Nathan Karns for $225k.
- The Padres signed 17th rounder Jorge Reyes for $200k.
- The Mets signed ninth rounder Jeff Glenn for $150k.
Stephen Strasburg Reactions
There's general agreement that the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg both did well last night. Here are some reactions from around the league:
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan says Strasburg can't just be good. He has to turn the Nationals around the way Ken Griffey Jr. transformed the Mariners 20 years ago.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Stasburg and the Nationals aren't the only winners. MLB can win if it changes its way of distributing amateur talent when the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires after next season.
- MLB.com's Mike Bauman says this is how the draft should work: the weakest teams select and sign the best talent.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says the deal's a "clear win" for both sides.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post also believes both sides win.
- Acting GM Mike Rizzo says ultimately Strasburg wanted to play, according to Chico Harlan of the Washington Post.
Boras On Strasburg
Scott Boras tells USA Today's Bob Nightengale that he was never seeking a deal worth $50MM for Stephen Strasburg. Instead, they were originally hoping to see an offer in the low 20s. Via Twitter, Nightengale adds that Strasburg won't make his MLB debut this year. In fact, there's a chance he won't debut with the Nats until 2011.
Draft Updates: White Sox, Tigers, Royals, Phils
4:33pm: John Manuel of Baseball America reports that the Phillies will sign Colvin for $900k, or six times as much as the commissioner recommends. The Phillies have now signed everyone they drafted through the first 13 rounds.
4:22pm: More updates, with under seven hours remaining before the deadline to sign picks…
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says the White Sox won't sign third rounder Bryan Morgado unless there's a last-minute turn of events.
- Law reports that the Phillies are working towards an agreement with seventh round pick Brody Colvin. However, Law hears that the Phillies aren't on the brink of signing the righty.
- The Tigers had their top three unsigned picks, including first rounder Jacob Turner, undergo physicals today, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.
- It's too early to tell how their picks will work out, but J.J. Cooper of Baseball America says the Royals are spending aggressively on the draft for the second straight year.